News

New law establishes a market-based system for determining payment, delays payment adjustments for two years, new reporting requirements for clinical laboratories

WASHINGTON, DC – In order to inform clinical laboratories across the country facing major Medicare payment reform changes as the result of the recent passage of physician reimbursement legislation, the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) and G2 Intelligence, an organization reporting on the diagnostic industry for more than 30 years, will sponsor a webinar on April 23rd titled, “The Ins and Outs of Lab Fee Reform: Urgent Details on Lab Test Payment Under Medicare.”

“There is no question that the new law, which establishes a market based system for determining Medicare payment to clinical labs, is a better alternative to previously proposed policy that would extend across-the-board cuts to critical lab services,” said Alan Mertz, President of the ACLA. “However, this is a very complex new payment system, and it will take time to understand how it will work. This webinar is the first step in fleshing out the details for stakeholders and to echo ACLA’s commitment to working with Congress and CMS over the next two years as it is implemented. We are also pleased to have one of the key Congressional staff persons responsible for the legislation participate in our webinar and he will discuss the intent of this important legislation.”

The webinar, scheduled for April 23 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET, will assist participants in:

Understanding how the new law will affect labs and future payment of lab tests under Medicare

Concluding why this new system for setting payment for existing tests and new tests under the CLFS is preferable to the system CMS had planned to use for making adjustments

Raising concerns voiced by some in the industry about the potential impact of these changes

Determining what will be required of labs in reporting private payer information to Medicare

ACLA and G2 Intelligence are encouraging participants to take advantage of the opportunity to engage with the webinar’s top health policy expert presenters so they are appropriately prepared when the new payment system is implemented.